


Fictober (like 2017?) Prompt:  Plants

by PusillanimousBitch1138



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), DCeased (DC Comics)
Genre: Drabble, F/F, Fictober, girlfriends who kill together, idk man, kind of flower shop au?, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24664246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PusillanimousBitch1138/pseuds/PusillanimousBitch1138
Summary: Ivy meets Rose and quickly realizes they have more in common than she might've thought.
Relationships: ivy pepper/oc





	Fictober (like 2017?) Prompt:  Plants

**Author's Note:**

> I thought about this last night and realized I'd never posted it here. This was a fictober prompt from like 2017. It's not great, but I still think it's cute.

Ivy wandered the streets of Gotham, the smell of chemicals permeating the air. It disgusted her. All around her, she could feel them, the plants. The grass, dying from smog, acidic rain, and the constant urination and defecation left by fat domesticated animals. Household plants left in too much sun, drowning or dying of thirst, trying to gain nutrition from old or the wrong kind of soil. Every day in this godforsaken city was an exercise in restraint, a restraint she frequently failed to maintain. Her heels clicked against the constantly damp pavement, echoing along the empty streets accentuated by the occasional hiss of steam or car passing in the distance, a ballad to mankind.

She turned the corner and paused. She felt it before she could see it—the warmth of love and kindness. Up the street a ways, a storefront glimmered with soft light. Curious, Ivy approached it and as she did, the pure and utter contentment she felt only intensified. She smiled despite herself. The building was separate from the others, and she could see that the roof was made of glass and angled in a diamond. In the front of the building stood four stone pillars, greyed with the poison of the city, but rather than walls there were just tall windows which lined the entirety of the large building. Inside, plants. Ivy was grinning now, and she approached one of the windows, tapping her finger to the glass. A wide array of plants were inside—orchids, ferns, roses, several trellises of vines, some fruit bearing plants. And each and every one of them—happy, healthy, loved.

She couldn’t help it when she turned the handle to the door, couldn’t help herself stepping inside. She breathed in deeply, a magnificent array of smells mixing in the beautifully clean air. Delving deeper into the building, she admired many of the plants she passed.

She had paused to admire a particularly beautiful gardenia bushling, its blossoms thick and full, when she heard a small “Oh.” She looked up to see a woman standing a few feet away holding a tray of seedlings. She was…lovely. A little plump, with long chestnut hair that curled about her shoulder blades, thick black rimmed glasses hiding blue eyes. She smiled nervously. “I um, I’m sorry, ma’am, but the conservatory is closed for the night.”

Ivy looked down at the flowers then at the woman. “So much love… Who is responsible for these beautiful plants?”

The girl blushed slightly and set her tray down on a nearby table. “I guess that would be me.” She smiled at her.

Ivy regarded her again before crossing to a nearby trellis arch bearing wisteria vines in full bloom. “This is just…incredible. I’ve never seen such healthy plants outside of my own care before. It’s obvious they’re well loved.”

The woman smiled, looking around her. “I love them like they were my own children. Plants are the most pure of beings, innocent in every way.”

Ivy looked at her, trying to hide her surprise. The way the woman looked at the plants, Ivy could tell she was telling the truth. She felt herself blush but didn’t know why. The woman seemed to realize she was staring and jumped slightly, then turned back to Ivy. “But, as I said, we’re closed, ma’am. I’m afraid you’ll have to come back another time.”

Ivy hesitated but conceded. The conservatory _was_ impressive, but something about this woman intrigued her, enough that she decided it was worth letting her stay alive. At least these plants were in good hands, it seemed. She smiled brightly at the woman and nodded. “I understand. Thank you for your time.” She spun on her heel and headed towards the door.

Her hand was almost on the handle before she heard the woman call, “Wait!” Ivy turned to look at her when she was met with a face full of blue hyacinth. The girl cleared her throat and retracted it slightly. “Sorry, I, uhm. Well, you just seem to like these plants so much, I thought you should have this. It’s not often someone comes in here, let alone someone who seems to care so much.”

Ivy looked down at the plant then back at the woman and smiled, taking it. “Thank you.” She reached out her hand. “I’m Ivy.”

The woman smiled and took her hand. “Rose.” Ivy found herself blushing again at the woman’s bright smile. She turned and left without another word.

Xxx

Ivy got caught up in taking out the head of an overly ambitious chemical company who had “accidentally” allowed a large chemical spill that leached into the groundwater and caused entire acres of plants to die. It took her three weeks before she thought of Rose again. She found herself walking along the streets of Gotham, this time in daylight, and found herself smiling. _Excitement,_ she realized, was what she was feeling. She hadn’t realized how much she had enjoyed their first encounter.

The conservatory was fast to approach, and she nudged the door open. She wandered around again, happiness and contentment filling her at the sight of the plants. It took her a while to find Rose in the giant building, but as she rounded a corner the sound of soft singing along to a song that sounded as though it came from the 50s reached her ears. She followed the sound to an area of the conservatory that was a tad more secluded than the rest, a few smaller tree varieties growing towards the high ceiling. Kneeling in the center was Rose, leaned over a nightshade bush, trimming away vines that threatened to overtake the plant. She didn’t know why, but Ivy smiled. “I see you’re hard at work again,” she called.

Rose paused and turned to look over her shoulder. She blushed, but smiled. “Always. Someone has to take care of these babies.”

Ivy smiled and walked over to join her. The two of them talked for what felt like minutes but was definitely hours, because before either of them knew it, it was night out. They’d moved from plant to plant, watering, feeding, trimming, and with each and every one, Ivy was more and more reassured that Rose knew what she was doing and that she truly and actively cared about the plants. It warmed Ivy’s heart.

As they said goodnight, Rose escorted Ivy to the door and she leaned against the frame, grinning lazily at her. “You know,” she started, “I really like you, Ivy.”

Ivy smiled. “I like you, too, Rose.” She paused in the entryway and Rose looked up at her (standing nearly a head shorter than her.) Ivy reached up and absently brushed a section of Rose’s hair behind her ear, her hand lingering on her cheek. Rose smiled at her, and before either woman knew what had happened, Rose had stretched up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Ivy’s. Ivy was shocked, but quickly cast her surprise aside and reciprocated, her hand moving to the back of her neck.

They parted after a second, Rose blushing as brightly as well…a rose, and Ivy smiled. “I’ll see you around,” she cooed.

Rose beamed and nodded. “I hope so.”

Ivy left then, casting a look over her shoulder as she reached the sidewalk, a part of her happy to see Rose still watching. She waved before she descended down the sidewalk, towards home.

Xxx

The next day, Ivy turned on the news as she set about getting ready for the day. She was in the shower when she heard the proclamation: James Norton, the wealthy CEO of a local Gotham company responsible for a large scale deforestation from Cloister to Fairfax, had been murdered. Ivy stopped the water and stepped out, wrapping herself in a large towel as she walked over to the small TV. “GCPD say that although motive is unclear ( _“Psh, unclear,”_ Ivy thought,) it appears as though Mr. Norton was _poisoned_ last night. GCPD has confirmed that they have found toxic berries near the body, and at this time it is expected that these berries are, in fact, _Atropa belladonna_ more commonly referred to as deadly nightshade. Police are asking for any inf—”

Ivy clicked the TV off then turned to the mirror. She wiped fog off the glass and grinned to her reflection. “My, my. We have been busy.” She quickly finished getting ready then practically skipped off to the conservatory, as giddy as a clam. Once she arrived, she pushed her way inside and skulked around in search of the fair Rose. She found her towards the back, in the nursery, knuckles deep in potting soil for some new seedlings. Rose looked up when Ivy stepped inside, and she smiled. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find the time before Ivy had thrown herself on her, hands buried in her chestnut hair, lips devouring hers in a passionate kiss. Rose squeaked against the taller woman, taking a second to process what was happening before she reciprocated, holding her dirty hands out away from Ivy’s nice dress. Ivy pulled back and grinned down at Rose. “I know it was you,” she breathed.

Rose tensed up and pulled back. “What was me? I haven’t done anything.”

Ivy’s grin turned into a smirk and she pressed her forehead against Rose’s. “That scumbag, Norton. Someone killed him last night. With belladonna.”

Rose cleared her throat and swallowed. “You mean that CEO guy?” She pulled back and regarded Ivy, and for a moment Ivy worried she had guessed wrong before Rose’s face broke into a sly grin. “ _If_ someone were to have poisoned him, he obviously had it coming.”

Ivy beamed again and swept in for another kiss, pushing Rose back against a potting table. Ivy helped her scoot up onto it and wrapped Rose’s legs about her waist. They broke off for air, panting, flushed, and Ivy grinned. “I see a beautiful future ahead of us, my dear.”

Rose smiled back and leaned back on her hands. “I can’t _wait,_ ” she purred.


End file.
